In 2012, actor Channing Tatum and his business partner Keith Kurtz debuted the burlesque-themed bar and restaurant Saints & Sinners on Bourbon Street, sparking Magic Mike jokes, skepticism, and bachelorette party enthusiasm. After 12 years, it unexpectedly closed at the end of May, surprising many New Orleanians.
The Saints and Sinners website states: “We will sadly close our doors on May 27, 2024. Many thanks to our lovely visitors and workers for their support throughout the years. We are really pleased to have been in the French Quarter.” Eater contacted Kurtz for comment but has not heard back.
After filming 21 Jump Street here and “falling in love” with New Orleans, Tatum and Kurtz founded the bar. The pair thought Bourbon Street and the French Quarter lacked bars where women were the targeted consumer. Kurtz claimed he was inspired by Storyville, New Orleans's controlled red light area from 1897 to 1917, and fashioned the pub after a brothel, a unique spin on a “safe haven” for women. A sexy-meets-semi-historical-meets-tourist-friendly pub was conceived.
Kurtz has run the pub since its establishment, while Tatum has mostly been a spectator. The Saints and Sinners website now links to Kurtz's Love Thy Neighbor Foundation, which supports the bar.